The U.S. Department of Education (ED) recently invited input on its Fiscal Year 2022-2026 Learning Agenda, a series of research questions that will guide the agency’s research in the years ahead. Start Early led a group of national, state and local early childhood organizations in submitting a joint comment encouraging ED to fully align early childhood education with K-12 systems and center equity in this guiding document.

The comment offered eight guiding principles that Start Early and its partners encourage ED to use to create a learning agenda that helps establish a continuum of high-quality education services from birth through grade 12. The goal of the recommendations was to not only advance comprehensive, aligned services for young children, but also to honor the expertise, goals and desires of their families and early learning providers to set the stage for success in school and in life.

Start Early and its partners also collectively recognize that advancing equity in educational access, use, participation and outcomes for young children and their families is inextricably tied to working for equity and justice for people of color and communities that have been under-resourced and divested from. We encourage ED to view its learning agenda as a critical tool for driving equity in early learning.

We recommend that ED:

  • Promote early learning as foundational to K-12.
  • Prioritize research on early childhood to K-12 transitions, particularly for children with disabilities and developmental delays, dual-language learners and other priority populations.
  • Integrate the needs of priority and historically under-resourced populations throughout the learning agenda and collect data disaggregated by race/ethnicity, language and income level for child- and family-facing services.
  • Integrate early childhood providers into studies on workforce needs and development.
  • Value lived experience and family expertise.
  • Value community collaborations and systems.
  • Disseminate data and research findings in ways that promote equity and continuous quality improvement for programs.
  • Create a joint learning agenda with the Department of Health and Human Services.

Read the full joint comment

The Start Early Policy Agenda emphasizes the need for comprehensive, equitable early childhood systems that provide all children and their families with access to an uninterrupted continuum of high-quality services from before birth through age 5. Aligning those services with K-12 education is fundamental to supporting family success. Assessing how our systems serve communities and populations that have historically been under-served and under-invested in is critical to ensuring that the many exciting federal opportunities on the horizon for the early care and learning field are realized equitably. We are grateful to the ED for the opportunity to comment and look forward to their ongoing partnership with the early childhood community.

We are also grateful to our 44 partners — national organizations and state and local organizations from 16 states and Washington, D.C. — who signed onto this joint comment:

National Organizations: American Federation of Teachers; Attendance Works; Bank Street College of Education, Learning Starts At Birth; Child Care Aware® of America; Committee for Economic Development; The Educare Learning Network; The Education Trust; First Five Years Fund; First Focus on Children; National Association for Family Child Care; National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education; National Workforce Registry Alliance, Inc.; New America Early & Elementary Education Policy Program; Parents as Teachers; Start Early

State & Local Organizations: Alaska: Alaska Children’s Trust | California: Child360; Early Edge California | Colorado: Clayton Early Learning; Colorado Children’s Campaign | Connecticut: The Connecticut Association for Human Services | Florida: United Way Miami | Georgia: Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students | Idaho: Idaho Business for Education; United Way of Southeastern Idaho | Illinois: Children’s Home and Aid; Erikson Institute; Latino Policy Forum; Legal Council for Health Justice; Metropolitan Family Services; Prevent Child Abuse Illinois; Synapse Early Learning Systems; YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago; YWCA Metropolitan Chicago | Louisiana: Louisiana Policy Institute for Children | Maryland: Maryland State Family Child Care Association | Missouri: Kids Win Missouri | Montana: Zero to Five Montana | Ohio: Action for Children | Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children | South Dakota: Coeur Wharf Resources (a partner of United Way of the Black Hills); United Way of the Black Hills | Texas: First3Years | Washington, DC: Educare Washington, DC; House of Ruth

Read the U.S. Department of Education’s original call for input.

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Trivia!

According to an August 23rd tweet from the Washington State Archives (@WAStateArchives), the following proposed mottos for the state seal were all rejected at the 1889 Constitutional Convention:

  • Our Varied Industries Invite You
  • Westward the Star of the Empire Takes its Way
  • Welcome
  • Put None but Americans on Guard
  • We, the People, Rule
  • First in peace, first in war, and first in the hearts of real estate agents

In the end, what motto accompanied the final state seal?

Fair Start for Kids Act & State Budget Resources

Start Early Washington recently released two resource documents related to the Fair Start for Kids Act and the 2021–23 state budget investments in early learning. The first document summarizes the key components of the Fair Start for Kids Act and the second breaks down state and federal investments included in the 2021–23 state budget.

As a result of the Fair Start for Kids Act and accompanying budget investments, new policies are slated to go into effect on October 1, 2021, including:

  • A new Working Connections Child Care co-payment schedule that reduces families’ share of the cost of care;
  • A shift from using Federal Poverty Level to State Median Income to determine eligibility for Working Connections Child Care (a description of why this is important is included in the Fair Start for Kids Act summary link above); and
  • Income eligibility for Working Connections Child Care increasing to 60% of the State Median Income ($51,804 for a family of three).

Child Care Collaborative Task Force Report Released

Earlier this month, the Washington State Child Care Collaborative Task Force convened by the Department of Commerce and the Department of Children, Youth, and Families released its latest report, focused on outlining a strategy, timeline and an implementation plan to increase child care access. This report builds on previous efforts, including a child care industry assessment.

The Child Care Collaborative Task Force strategy document was completed after the passage of the Fair Start for Kids Act this spring and the task force’s recommendations complement the provisions of the new law while also laying out a vision for further action to address pressing child care workforce challenges. The report underscores the 43% turnover rate in our state’s child care workforce and emphasizes the negative impact of this turnover on ensuring that families have access to high quality child care.

The task force was recently extended and its final charge is to submit a cost of quality child care study to the Governor and Legislature in 2022. The intent is to use the information from the cost of quality work to develop a financing model to support higher wages.

State Economic Forecast

Last week, the Washington State Economic and Revenue Forecast Council met to receive an updated Economic Review from the state’s economist, Dr. Steve Lerch.

On the positive side:

  • Revenue continues to outpace previous projections, with collections at $90 million above what was projected in June.
  • Our state’s employment rate is similar to what it was in June.
  • Our state’s personal income growth through 2025 is expected to be higher than what was projected in June.

On the risk side:

  • Not surprisingly, COVID continues to be the greatest risk to our economy. Rising COVID cases and higher inflation have led to lower consumer confidence in the past two months.
  • The number of households saying eviction or foreclosure is “very likely” in the next two months has increased.

The next revenue forecast will be released on September 24th.

Agency “Decision Packages” Released

Every mid–September, state agencies submit agency budget requests (commonly referred to as “Decision Packages”) to the Office of Financial Management for consideration to be included in the Governor’s budget released each December.

The state began the 2021–23 biennium on July 1, 2021, so the 2022 budget is a “supplemental” budget. By design, supplemental budgets are intended to make tweaks and adjustments, rather than new, significant investments.

DCYF submitted three Decision Packages related to early learning:

  1. A $16.1 million request for ECEAP to convert slots from part–day to full and extended–day; increase rates to reflect those in King County and program quality support funding that was previously supported by private dollars.
  2. A placeholder request to align funding with the November forecast on caseload.
  3. Increased spending authority to more accurately reflect the level of funds in the Home Visiting Services Account.

What’s next? The Office of Financial Management staff will spend the next two months sifting through these requests, evaluating updated revenue figures and building a budget for the Governor to approve and present in mid–December. From there, the work shifts to the legislative arena.

Upcoming Legislative Work Sessions

Several virtual legislative committee work sessions are scheduled for this fall, including:

  • A September 22nd work session in the House Children, Youth and Families Committee focused on training for early learning licensors and
  • An October 19th work session on Children and Youth Behavioral Health.

DCYF is Hiring!

The task of implementing the Fair Start for Kids Act requires additional staff capacity at DCYF. Following are some open positions. Feel free to share with interested parties:

Trivia Answer

In the end, no motto accompanied the design! If you were to select from one of the options, which would you prefer? I’m going for the simple “Welcome.” It stands the test of time.

Last month, families across the country began receiving the first payments under the Advance Child Tax Credit (ACTA), a part of the American Rescue Plan Act. For many families with young children, like Educare Chicago parent Cheryse Singleton-Nobles, the expanded Child Tax Credit offers integral support that increases their ability to provide a stable environment and experiences for their children to thrive.

“A lot of us are struggling. Even though the pandemic is ending, that doesn’t end the financial impacts it created,” Cheryse shares.

“We need the Child Tax Credit to survive. We need it for our families, to help our businesses grow, for school supplies, to put gas in the car. We need it so our families can keep striving and so we can raise successful young individuals."

Cheryse Singleton-Nobles
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Across the nation, even as employment is rising and strains on household budgets have eased in recent months families continue to struggle. One in three adults with children report difficulty covering usual household expenses, and one in eight report their families don’t have enough to eat. This financial strain and chronic stress can undermine young children’s sense of security, safety and joy. If prolonged, it can have a negative, long-term impact on their development.

“If it’s stressful for an adult, imagine how stressful this time has been for young children whose entire routine was disturbed,” Cheryse continues. “The Child Tax Credit puts us in a place of peace so that we can be in a better mental state to focus on doing more for our children and not worrying as much about things getting turned off or bills not being paid.”

The expanded Child Tax Credit will help directly alleviate the strain that so many families are experiencing on multiple fronts. Eligible families will receive up to $3,600 per child under age 6 and $3,000 for children ages 6 to 17, with half made available to families in advance through six monthly payments and the rest claimed when they file their tax returns.

Many organizations, including our own Educare Learning Network, are proactively reaching out to educate families on the tax filing process and helping them take full advantage of the Child Tax Credit. At Educare Chicago, “staff let us know it was coming, who to contact and offered to assist with the tax filing process,” Cheryse shares.

What does the Child Tax Credit Mean for Your Family?

Our partners at the Educare Learning Network are collecting quotes and stories about the importance of the Child Tax Credit. Tell us what the Child Tax Credit means for your family, your finances and your future.

Share Your Story

In addition to household essentials, Cheryse underscored the importance of the payments to help parents meet their children’s educational and developmental needs. “For instance, a family with a child with disabilities can use this money to pay for equipment and materials that aren’t covered by insurance,” she says. “With the extra money being sent, it’s like, ‘Whoa, okay, I can breathe.’”

The Child Tax Credit is one of the critical supports for working families that can and should be made permanent by the passage of the American Families Plan. Other transformative investments included in the plan would help defray the costs of child care and offer families more child care options, two issues families continue to grapple with. Two out of three working parents (63%) and nearly all low-income parents (95%) report having a hard time.

Happy State Fiscal Year 2022!

It is tough to believe it has been nearly three months since the Legislature adjourned Sine Die. With the start of a new state fiscal year and the work underway to implement both the Fair Start for Kids Act and federal COVID-related supports, we thought it would be helpful to resume “Notes from Olympia” periodically during the legislative interim to share updates. Unlike during the legislative session, we will not have a regular cadence of releasing the updates.

Trivia!

OK, OK. I admit this does not meet the definition of trivia, but I am admittedly out of practice.

Is there a place you frequented – so often you took it for granted – and the pandemic kept you from visiting? Maybe it was your office or a favorite neighborhood restaurant. How did it feel when (if?) you returned?

For me, that place was the State Capitol. I was able to take my “first” work trip in late June and thoroughly enjoyed strolling through the Capitol campus. While the buildings were not yet open when I visited, I took in all the beautiful new landscape and wandered through the campus that we quickly left on March 13, 2020. I thought I would share these pictures because it was so lovely (hats off to the landscaping team there). Hopefully, the place will be safely filled with people again for the 2022 legislative session.

The Capitol Building on a summer day
Lovely summer bloom walkway on the Capitol campus
Beautiful hanging basket and the North Portico entrance

State Revenue Update

On June 23rd, the State Economic Revenue and Forecast Council met to get an update on the state’s revenue outlook. Revenue continues to exceed projections, with an additional $838 million expected for the 2019-21 biennium that just concluded on June 30th and an additional $1.798 billion expected for the 2021-23 biennium that we just began on July 1st.

Personal income growth continues to exceed projections, and residential building permits hit a 42 year high in quarter one. Unemployed dropped to 5.3% in May. COVID and the variants continue to be the most significant risk to our revenue forecast, along with high inflation and supply chain issues in some sectors.

Program Updates

Our state agency partners are busy working to implement the significant budget and policy advancements achieved during the 2021 legislative session. Following are updates on the status of some key initiatives:

Early Learning Facility Funding Opportunity to Open Fall 2021. As a reminder, the adopted state budget included a total of $55.7 million for early learning facilities. This includes a total of $32.5 million in grants and loans; $10 million for minor renovations and small capital projects; $8.5 million for renovations related to COVID; and $4.7 million for 9 specific school district projects. Of the $32.5 million for grants and loans, the dollars break down as: $23.911 million in competitive grants, $7.5 million for loans and $1.089 million for 4 specific projects.

The Department of Commerce released a status update about these funds on July 8th. The email reminded that funding could be used for construction, renovation, or purchase of a new facility. Funds must be used to expand the number of early learning spaces, and programs must also commit to reserving spots for families participating in ECEAP or Working Connections Child Care. The email reported the Notice of Funding Availability would be available shortly and interested potential applicants are encouraged to visit the Commerce website for additional information. Further, because the Early Learning Facilities program has a match goal of at least 25% of total costs coming from non-state funds, potential applicants are also encouraged to start looking into match opportunities now. Note the website has an option to sign up for email updates on the lower right of the webpage.

Home Visiting Expansion Funding

The 2021-23 operating budget contains $8.1 million ($2.8 million in FY 22 and $5.3 million in FY 23) to expand home visiting services, enhance data collection and increase supports for home visiting programs.

After consultation with the Home Visiting Advisory Committee, the Department of Children, Youth and Families released their FY 22 expansion funding plans. Twenty-five existing contractors that met performance metrics around enrollment and retention were invited to apply to serve up to 150 new families. Applications are due August 10th, and per budget bill language, contracts must be in place by October 1, 2021.

Additional expansion dollars will be available as of July 1, 2022, and guidance for those dollars will be released in early 2022.

Federal Guidance on One-Time Child Care and Development Funds Released. On June 11th, the federal Administration for Children and Families released guidance on the use of Supplemental Child Care and Development (CCDF) Discretionary Funds appropriated through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021.

These supplemental federal dollars are intended to be used over the next three years to help states, territories, and tribes build a stronger child care system and help families afford quality child care. The federal guidance strongly recommends lead agencies prioritize these funds to address provider payment rates and overall workforce compensation. The guidance posits that increasing compensation will increase quality and provide parents more options while also increasing wages and providing supports for child care as businesses.

Lead agencies have until September 30, 2023, to obligate these funds. The Washington State Legislature programmed much of our state’s supplemental CCDF funding in its 2021-23 biennial budget.

DCYF Launches Fair Start Act Webpage. Recently, DCYF launched a section on its website dedicated to Fair Start for Kids Act implementation. The site is a “one-stop-shop” for a summary of the Fair Start Act provisions and updates on DCYF’s implementation efforts. DCYF will regularly update the site.

Welcome, Jess!

Start Early Washington is very excited to welcome Jess Galvez to our team as the Communications and Policy Manager. Jess comes to us from Save the Children Action Network and brings a breadth of experience in early learning, communications, grassroots organizing, and so much more. We are thrilled to have her as a valued member of our team. One of her top priorities is to get Start Early Washington’s social media presence going – so look for us on Twitter soon!

Capital Campus Child Care Center Nearing Completion

On my walking tour, I took in the Capital Campus Child Care Center that is close to opening to serve families of Capitol and state employees. (You can see how close the center is to campus by the proximity of the Capitol dome in the upper left of the picture below).

The campus child care building will have 198 solar panels and each panel will produce 440 watts of energy. This project will make the new child care center a Net-Zero building.

 

Campus child care center outdoor area

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) provides states with a unique opportunity to strategically lay the foundation for addressing long-standing inequities and best supporting children with disabilities and developmental delays, who have long been underrepresented in our early childhood system and have endured some of the greatest impacts of the pandemic. As states navigate the complexity that is effectively utilizing and distributing these historic funds, equity should be at the center of their process to prioritize the needs of children and families who have been disproportionately impacted.

The following guide contains strategies and considerations for using federal funds to prioritize children with disabilities and developmental delays with a focus on equity. The guide specifically addresses use of the following funds:

  • Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) Part B – Section 619 ($200 Million) and IDEA Part C ($250 Million)
  • Supplemental Child Care and Development Block Grant ($14.99 Billion) and Child Care Stabilization Funds ($23.98 Billion)
  • Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, aka ESSER ($122.77 Billion)
  • Head Start Funds ($1 Billion)

There are several opportunities to ensure ARPA funds are implemented at the state and local level to maximize impact for our children with disabilities and their families. Now is the time to ensure families — particularly families of color — can access the early intervention and early childhood special education services they need (and may have been previously disconnected from), better support inclusive child care and preschool programs for young children with disabilities, and test out innovative service delivery models. By strategically utilizing these investments to meet the needs of children and families most affected, states can work towards building a more equitable early childhood system and addressing existing disparities that were only worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

If you are interested in discussing possible strategies or sharing what your state is planning on doing to support young children with disabilities using ARPA funds, we would love to hear from you! Please email Zareen Kamal at zkamal@startearly.org

In this blog, Amanda Stein, director of research and evaluation, discusses new research with Start Early, NORC at the University of Chicago and the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research. Read the full report.

Current Opportunities

Coming off the heels of the pandemic, the massive influx of federal spending on early childhood care and education (ECCE) offers systems, district and program leaders an opportunity to intentionally design and implement equity-focused policies and practices that ensure families and children — especially young children living in marginalized, under-served or otherwise vulnerable communities — have access and are engaged in high quality early learning experiences.

Young children, their families, and our broader society are unable to reap the benefits of quality ECCE programs if children and families are not able to access them. Existing research evidence shows that differential access is an important contributing factor to inequities in enrollment. There is an enormous body of work about the long-term benefits associated with quality care and education in a child’s earliest years, including the recent research evidence coming out of Boston, that makes disparities in access to programming particularly concerning.

Prior Research Findings

Our previous work in Chicago found that after major policy changes focused on reallocating pre-K classrooms to specific schools and neighborhoods throughout the city and increasing the overall number of full-day, pre-K classrooms — both access and enrollment improved for high-priority student groups (students of color, students speaking a language other than English and students living in neighborhoods with lower income and higher unemployment). Furthermore, we found a persistent link between access to and enrollment in full-day, school-based pre-K. In other words, living closer to a school with full-day pre-K increased a child’s likelihood of enrolling, especially for high-priority student groups.  Learn more about our earlier research findings.

Newest Research Findings: Evidence of Improved Student Outcomes Linked to Policies Focused on Equity in Preschool Access
Recent research from Start Early with NORC at the University of Chicago and the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research examines if and how these pre-K policy changes intended to increase access and enrollment to full-day pre-K are related to later student outcomes. We found that these equity-centered policies at the pre-K level in Chicago created a pathway to higher test scores and grades in second grade. Specifically, these policy shifts were related to higher kindergarten entry skills and ultimately better academic outcomes in second grade, particularly for high-priority students. Reading test scores in second grade also increased among Black students and students in the lowest income group. Importantly, the pathway from full-day pre-K to better second grade outcomes proved especially strong among Black students, students in the lowest-income group, and students living in mostly-Black neighborhoods.

Policy Implications and Directions for Future Research
Overall, the study provides evidence that the geographic placement of school-based, full-day pre-K classrooms is an important mechanism for advancing equity in pre-K access and enrollment and for improved academic achievement in early elementary school, especially for high-priority student groups. In particular the pathway from full-day pre-K to better second grade outcomes proved especially strong among Black students, students in the lowest-income group, and students living in mostly-Black neighborhoods.

Not unexpectedly, the long-term increases in outcomes following Chicago’s access-focused pre-K policy changes account for a relatively small portion of the overall disparities in academic outcomes between student groups. In other words, point-in-time policy changes at the pre-K grade level alone cannot fully address the effects of long-standing systemic inequities within and beyond the educational system. We must work toward building a comprehensive, equity-centered ECCE system that acknowledges the infrastructural role that early care and learning play in the overall economy.

Nonetheless, this research evidence demonstrates that access to full-day pre-K is an important policy strategy that ECCE systems and district leaders can leverage to advance more equitable access and improve academic outcomes in later years. Current ECCE systems and policy conditions are ripe with opportunity for cities and districts to expand full-day pre-K close to where historically underserved students live. It is also possible that the pandemic has led to changes in families’ needs and priorities for care and learning experiences for their children. Therefore, systems and district leaders should develop strategies to actively engage families about their needs, worries, and considerations in addition to location of full-day pre-k and to support families’ awareness and reduce barriers to enrollment in those options. And researchers should continue to study the effectiveness of those efforts. Other key policies beyond access to pre-K must be considered, including policies that support improved classroom quality and family engagement within pre-K settings, support preschool-to-3rd grade instructional alignment, and reduction of poverty and violence as multiple approaches that move us to a time and space where sociodemographic characteristics are not determinants of student outcomes.

Continue the Conversation
Join the Early Childhood Connector to learn from and collaborate with peers and experts in the ECE field, as we continue our work to improve access for our youngest learners.

With the recent massive influx of federal spending on early learning and care, we face a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create an early learning and care system that prioritizes families and supports them when they need it most: during a child’s critical first five years.

Washington, D.C. has issued a clarion call to boldly rethink and improve our early learning and care programs. The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) represents one of the most significant investments in young children in decades, which will funnel over $40 billion to states for early learning. States and communities are already beginning to plan for how to spend these dollars and are looking for guidance and expertise from the early childhood field. The American Families Plan dreams even bigger, proposing $450 billion in early childhood care and education funding that would provide quality preschool to all 3- and 4-year-olds in our nation, support quality child care, expand the Child Tax Credit and the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit, and ensure twelve weeks of paid family leave.

Rising to this unprecedented opportunity will require coordinated, coherent and collaborative action. The capacity needed to get this moment right is more than any one organization can do alone, and it’s on all of us to get it right for our youngest learners.

It’s on state advocates and system leaders to successfully plan for and spend this unprecedented federal investment in early childhood systems. To dream big and lay a foundation for a more equitable early childhood system, particularly for families of color, all while facing quick timelines and no promise that this level of federal funding will continue. This is a bipartisan issue, and we’re already supporting both Democratic and Republican governors in 17 states to effectively use the funds to repair and redesign early childhood systems and supports to be more equitable, to increase access for families of color, to reach more children with disabilities and to target funding to build capacity of under-resourced communities.

It’s on philanthropic institutions and private support to continue funding the innovative quality programs and systems at the community level, so they can be scaled with public funding. Quality early learning and care is a proven solution to closing the opportunity gap and breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty, but only if it is quality. More than ever, private support behind public investments will be essential to ensuring every child has access to equitable learning experiences needed to reach their full potential.

This is our moment. Together, we can transform our early childhood system so that every parent has access to quality programs and services that meet their unique needs. We can create a nation where every option available for families provides the supportive environment, ambitious instruction, effective leaders, collaborate teachers and involved families we know are essential to transforming the lives of children. We’re ready to answer this call and hope you will join us.

Infant and early childhood mental health (I/ECMH) has long been part of Illinois’ infrastructure and continues to play an integral role in our early childhood systems. In fact, in 2003, the state passed the Children’s Mental Health Act, creating the Illinois Children’s Mental Health Partnership (ICMHP). Additionally, in 2014, the Irving Harris Foundation convened hundreds of public and private partners to create the Illinois Action Plan to Integrate Early Childhood Mental Health into Child- and Family-Serving Systems, Prenatal through Age Five, an effort to sufficiently support the mental health needs of Illinois’ children.

There are a variety of strategies across the continuum of promotion/prevention, intervention and treatment to address I/ECMH, such as tiered systems of support within programs (e.g., Illinois’ Pyramid Model framework), parent/child interaction guidance, developmental screenings, parental mental health screenings, crisis intervention and dyadic therapies.

One strategy that is of huge focus in Illinois is I/ECMH Consultation (I/ECMHC). This multi-level, proactive approach partners multi-disciplinary I/ECMH consultants with those who work with young children and their families to support and enhance children’s social emotional development, health and well-being and to build the capacity of early childhood program staff.

In 2015, the I/ECMHC Initiative was created under the leadership of the ICMHP to pilot the Illinois Model of I/ECMHC in three types of early childhood settings in four communities in Illinois. Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago recently released research on the Model, which shows that early childhood providers improved their reflective capacity and classroom climate, and home visitors engaged in more responsive behaviors. The Initiative, now under the leadership of the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Development in partnership with the IL Network of Childcare Resource and Referral Agencies, aims to promote sustainable professional development, an I/ECMHC database and public awareness.

National research also demonstrates that I/ECMHC reduces expulsions and staff burnout and turnover.

In response to these promising findings, Illinois advocates have advanced legislation, such as 2017’s Public Act 100-105, prohibiting early childhood expulsion and a recent bill spearheaded by the Black Caucus to establish the Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Consultations Act, encouraging the state to increase funding for (and the availability of) I/ECMHC services.

New legislation also requires behavioral health clinicians working with children under age 5 to use a developmentally-appropriate diagnostic assessment and billing system when a diagnosis is needed, including ZERO TO THREE’s Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders of Infancy and Early Childhood (DC: 0-5TM). All licensed child care providers, directors and staff are also required to participate in at least one training every three years that includes the topics of early childhood social emotional learning, infant and early childhood mental health, early childhood trauma or adverse childhood experiences.

There is still more work to be done to provide resources and funding that staff, families and communities need to address I/ECMH. No one agency or person can fill all the needs of families and children – therefore, it is critically important that across the community, systems are coordinated so that the broad range of factors, needs and contexts are addressed. The system must be comprehensive, coordinated and integrated and needs to offer supports that reflect the continuum of care needed, from education and prevention to intervention to treatment.


This blog post is last in a series about I/ECMH, published on the heels of Mental Health Awareness Month. 

More From This Series

In this Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health blog series, we explore child, caregiver and community mental health, as well as issues related to equity, disparities and intersectionality.

The Illinois General Assembly approved the state’s Fiscal Year 2022 budget (FY 2022) plan over the holiday weekend. We expect Governor J.B. Pritzker will sign the package into law in the coming days.

We are disappointed that the final budget reduces state funding for some early childhood programs and maintains existing funding levels for others.

Earlier this year, the Illinois Commission on Equitable Funding for Early Childhood Education and Care released its comprehensive report on the future of early childhood in Illinois. The Commission urged the State to “seize this moment to reimagine and adequately invest” in our early care and education system. Specifically, the Commission found that a fully funded system will require an annual public investment of no less than $12.4 billion, of which current funding represents just 14%. The report made clear that state investments must match our belief that quality early care and education is critical to our state’s economy and future well-being of our children.

Cuts and level-funding will not get us to where we need to go. While the federal government has provided important short-term funding as a stopgap to deal with the pandemic and its aftermath, the state has a critical role to play to ensure the health and sustainability of our early care and education system. And current funding falls far short of what is needed to provide the early learning system we need to support communities, families, educators and providers.

State funding in the FY 2022 budget (SB2800) includes:

  • Level-funding for the Early Childhood Block Grant at the Illinois State Board of Education
  • Level-funding for evidence-based home visiting programs through Healthy Families and Parents Too Soon at the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS)
  • A $7 million (6%) cut in state funding for the Early Intervention program at IDHS
  • A $20 million (4.6%) cut in state funding for the Child Care Assistance Program at IDHS

While the budget includes an important increase of $350 million in state funding for schools, this is the first year since 2014 in which the General Assembly increased its K-12 investment without approving a related investment in its state early childhood program. This is also the first time since Fiscal Year 2013 that state funding to the Early Intervention program has been cut by the legislature.

Start Early and its partners have strongly advocated all year for the need to increase compensation for the early childhood professionals working for community-based organizations. There is more work to be done.

We are pleased, however, that the plan provides the administration the authority to spend significant short-term federal resources on the early care and education system. The General Assembly did increase the appropriation authority for several early childhood programs to allow for the spending of significant American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars:

  • $1.3 billion in child care funding to be spent over the current and upcoming fiscal years. While we expect to see more details emerge in the coming weeks on the proposed use of these funds, there have been commitments made to increase provider reimbursement rates, to stabilize further the provider network during COVID-19 recovery, and to work to attract more families back into the program.
    • $110 million from federal child care dollars will be directed to the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE), the Illinois Community College Board and the Illinois Student Assistance Commission to support a package of early childhood workforce items recommended by the IBHE Early Childhood Transformation Group, including financial supports to students.
  • Increased appropriation authority for anticipated Early Intervention and Maternal Infant Early Childhood Home Visiting ARPA funds. More details on use of those funds are also expected.

Several other important early childhood bills have been approved by the legislature, including:

  • HB158 (Lilly, Hunter) – known as the Health Care and Human Services Reform Act (PA 102-4), a new law that, among other provisions, expands the state Medicaid program to cover home visiting and doula services
  • HB3308 (Jones, Harris) – a bill that preserves the use of telehealth services and authorizes full payment parity for services covered by private insurance, including those offered in the Early Intervention program
  • HB2878 (Stuart, Pacione-Zayas) – a bill to authorize further articulation for Associate of Applied Science early childhood students and to improve access to associate’s, bachelor’s and master’s degrees and certificates, Gateways credentials and other licensure endorsements
  • HB3620 (Collins, Pacione-Zayas) – a bill that codifies into state law the current income eligibility threshold (200% FPL) for the Child Care Assistance Program
  • SB267 (Villanueva, Guzzardi) – a bill that, through improved data collection, helps colleges and universities better understand student parents and how to help them
  • SB820 (Lightford, Ammons) and SB2088 (Belt, Davis) – two bills that makes technical changes to the Education and Workforce Equity Act, including the establishment of a new effective date (January 2022) for the law allowing children turning 3-years-old over the summer to remain in the Early Intervention program until the next school year, as well as the updating of the membership of the KIDS Advisory Committee
  • SB2017 (Harmon, Harris) – the FY 2022 Budget Implementation bill, which includes language that reduces the matching requirements for Early Childhood Construction Grant applicants based on the Evidence-based Funding tier area in which their programs are located.

Within the basic concepts of infant and early childhood mental health (I/ECMH), it’s important to understand the immediate and potentially lifelong effects of exposure to trauma on children. Childhood trauma is defined by “the three Es.”

The experience of an event by a child that is emotionally painful or distressful, which results in mental and physical effects.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) have been linked to developmental and mental health concerns, risky health behaviors, chronic health conditions and early death. Research shows that 20-25% of children in the United States will experience some form of childhood trauma before adulthood. However, many children with high levels of ACEs and/or high distress symptoms do not receive clinical services.

Even very young children, from before birth, can experience trauma. During these first five years of life, children are more vulnerable because their brains are still developing, and they have not they yet acquired language skills to express what they are feeling.

Traumatic experiences can include natural disasters, a parent’s substance use disorder, being in an accident, being exposed to frequent, intense arguments or homelessness. Historical and/or intergenerational trauma can also be passed down through generations, such as experiences stemming from genocide. There is also systemically and institutionally imposed trauma, such as community violence and racism. Considering these factors, we must also recognize the impact of adult trauma, which can affect a caregiver’s ability to engage with or properly care for a child.

Learning how to understand, process and cope with difficulties – even tragedies – is a natural part of child development. But an intense, repeated or sustained experience may leave a child with an overwhelming sense of fear and loss, making them feel that they have no safety or control over their lives.

Children suffering from trauma can be less engaged and less ready to learn. According to Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child, trauma can diminish concentration, memory and the organizational and language abilities needed to function; and can increase risk for delinquency due to a learned distrust for adults and rules. Trauma symptoms often manifest as challenging behaviors and can be misdiagnosed or misinterpreted.

Yet, adverse childhood experiences do not dictate the future of a child. A balance scale is a good way to visualize resilience—protective experiences and coping skills on one side counterbalance adversity on the other. Resilience is evident when a child’s health and development tip toward positive outcomes, even when a heavy load of factors is stacked on the negative outcome side.

In fact, resilience can be strengthened at any age. While stress can lead to poor mental health, not every child exposed to stress will suffer those consequences. Resilience is best seen as a response to a specific situation, not a constant trait. It is different for each child, is fluid and can change over time, and what works in one situation might not work in another. The single most common factor for children who develop resilience is at least one stable and committed relationship with a supportive parent, caregiver or other adult.

Thus, it is important for caregivers and staff to recognize, consider and respond to the effects of all types of trauma. Trauma-informed care emphasizes physical, psychological and emotional safety for both clients and providers. One simple way to think of a trauma-informed approach is to ask not “what’s wrong with this child?” but, “what happened to this child?” On May 25, and on all days, we must acknowledge the enormous and small burdens children and families are experiencing. By extending kindness to others and ourselves, we can develop positive relationships and find and experience hope.


This blog post is part of a series about I/ECMH, and in particular, is written in honor of Illinois Trauma-Informed Awareness Day, which has been declared thanks to the work of the Illinois ACES Response Collaborative and the Illinois General Assembly. 

More From This Series

In this Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health blog series, we explore child, caregiver and community mental health, as well as issues related to equity, disparities and intersectionality.